New York City Appoints Former Bar Owner Ariel Palitz As Its First Nightlife Mayor

New York City has joined the likes of cities such as Amsterdam and London by appointing a Nightlife Mayor: Ariel Palitz.

Former bar owner and self-proclaimed nocturnal person, Palitz has promised to hold a series of listening tours as her first official act as Nightlife Mayor, according to The New York Times. Palitz is at the head of a 12-person advisory board and the keeper of a $300,000 budget and a salary of $130,000 a year to keep the nightlife industry booming and maintained with care for its citizens.

In an interview with The New York Times, Palitz expressed her understanding of the current state of affairs in the New York City nightlife industry. “You can’t crush culture — or subculture — in New York,” she said. “It just goes deeper and longer. New York culture and night life still thrive in a very real way. It’s just going to find its new place.”

Last September, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation to form an Office of Nightlife in order to promote the industry. In a press release from the Mayor, he stated that the office and the soon-to-be hired Nightlife Mayor will serve as a central point of contact between City agencies, the nightlife industry, and city residents, promoting a safe and vibrant nightlife scene beneficial to businesses and residents across the five boroughs.

According to a 2017 report by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, the Office of Nightlife is intended to help New York City’s struggling music venues as 20 percent of smaller venues have closed in the last 15 years due to rising real estate prices, zoning pressures, noise complaints, and more. Now that its first Nightlife Mayor is in office and ready for action, New York City’s nightlife industry is in store for a good, old-fashioned shake-up.